Food Apartheid: Recontextualizing Food Inequity in Black America

The Science of Food Inequity and A Growing Public Health Crisis in Black and Brown Communities

Besides the social and living experiences caused by lack of equitable food sources in over 6,500 areas across the United States, food apartheid also has a tangible effect on the health of its governing bodies, with some medically concerning statistics having emerged that show a steady increase in food related health problems within the Black community [5]. There is a common misconception that areas experiencing food injustice lack access to food period, when this is not necessarily true. In fact, the larger issue is that the food that is readily available is considered unhealthy or junk food. Areas highly saturated with unhealthy food options have previously been referred to as “food swamps”, with the National Library of Medicine stating that counties with higher concentrations of fast food availability have 77% higher odds of obesity related mortality [6].

Moreover, a poor diet, which is linked to the consumption of junk food, also plays a major role in exacerbating hereditary issues such as heart disease and cancer. Sugar-filled diets have the tendency to be the fuel for cancer growth and the uncontrollable division of cells, while high LDL cholesterol found in fatty snacks and prepackaged food are typical accelerators of heart disease. The harmful effects of a poor diet are only further perpetuated by a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the consumption of highly processed junk foods lead to neuroinflammation in the brain, which subsequently drives cravings for even more unhealthy foods. Studies have shown that even a few days of consuming sugar snacks can trigger inflammation in the hippocampus, the section of the brain that regulates hunger and fullness signals, creating a vicious cycle of overeating the wrong foods. Managing junk food is already considered a precarious issue for most of America, however, when compounded by circumstances of living within a food apartheid region—one needn’t imagine how difficult it is to maintain any sort of autonomy about your health and wellbeing.

Additionally, the cycle of food related health problems in the Black community has essentially become a generational curse that is passed on from parent to child, year after year. In 2022, one in three Black children lived without reliable access to food, an alarming statistic highlighting the ongoing struggle against food insecurity [1]. In 2019, non-hispanic Black adults were twice as likely to die from diabetes while the youth statistics unfortunately parallel these numbers, as in the same year, Black children were found to be twice as likely to die from diabetes [7]. These children were also found to be at a higher risk for other chronic illnesses linked to unhealthy lifestyles such as hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), and liver disease.

The lack of food sovereignty in low-income black and brown communities leaves people disconnected from the very act of consuming food, as it is governed by forces beyond their control. This detachment from the ability to choose what they consume is not simply an inconvenience, but a direct effect of being treated as insignificant in a system that has wounded low-income communities for decades. By being reduced to unfortunate recipients of government assistance and aid, with little to no say on how their food is distributed or consumed, people affected by food apartheid are alienated entirely from what it feels like to be an active participant in one’s own health.

Food for Thought: A Call to Action

Promoting self-determination to acquire healthy food options as a right of every living person is of utmost importance if the true goal of public health is the wellbeing of every community. Although it is legitimized through both institutionalized neglect and economic segregation, food inequity is, at its root, a social construct. A conscious effort must be made to dismantle the sort of “intentional terrorism” that Ta-Nehesis Coates connects with the intentional disembodiment of Brown and Black folks throughout history, thus the nutritional lives of real people must be prioritized over corporate profit margins [4].

Tomorrow's equitable healthcare is born today in the minds who center justice in their journey within the medical field. There was not one simple cause that led to development of food apartheid in the United States, and there will not be one simple solution to dismantle it either. Healthcare professionals, legislators, and community members must work cooperatively to promote farmers markets, equitable urban planning, and other initiatives that mitigate disparities in nutritional health. Although fixing food injustice on the national level can feel like an extremely daunting task, there are a number of local programs that utilize volunteerism or activism from students like us to not only raise awareness, but create tangible change within the community. Online market ProduceTheBox works in conjunction with Raleigh-Durham YMCA’s to run a fresh produce drive that delivers boxes of local fruits and veggies to over 750 every other week [8]. Additionally, there's been an increased emphasis on making sure farmers in rural areas have the means to provide for their community through the North Carolina Community Transformation Project and its adjacent grants. Of many solutions to challenge food apartheid, the most important is a plethora of advocates who use their voices to amplify that of the voiceless. The destruction of food apartheid will give life to a brighter future where nutritional agency is the norm and systemic health issues cease to exist. Until we address and dismantle the root causes of food apartheid, a certain hunger for change will remain unsatisfied, leaving millions with empty stomachs instead of a plate full of opportunity.